EAC’s SBDC to host Graham County DreamBuilder Kick-Off

By Erin Larson

THATCHER — Eastern Arizona College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is excited to invite interested community members to the Graham County DreamBuilder Kick-Off Meeting on Tuesday, August 13, from 10 a.m. – noon at the EAC Academic Programs Building, Room #111.

DreamBuilder, funded by Freeport-McMoRan and created by the ASU Thunderbird School, is a unique online business training program designed for women to assist them in starting or growing their own business. Attendance at this kick-off meeting is designed to introduce the program interested individuals and is free of charge.

The DreamBuilder program consists of online courses that walk users through the basics of starting a business while simultaneously building a business plan.  The online courses are supplemented with workshops under the direction of Business Analyst, Charmaine Chidester, at EAC twice monthly starting August 27 and ending in early December.
“We have had over 40 successful women graduation from this program the last three years,” said Chidester. “We are really looking forward to year #4!  Whether you already have a business, plan to open one in the near future, or thinking about it down the road, this program has something to teach everyone.”

The Kick-Off meeting is designed to introduce the program and start those interested in the first few courses.  While the program is designed for women, men will also find the curriculum challenging and are welcome to attend. The first meeting is free and the course series costs $50 per attendee.  Successful students will receive a certificate of completion during the graduation ceremony in December.

Registration for the Kick-Off meeting is encouraged and can be completed by contacting Charmaine Chidester at (928) 428-8276 or charmaine.chidester@eac.edu, or by registering online at  https://bit.ly/2J66Amn.